the technology wardrobe revisited.

i'm sitting here with my little LG phone to my left. an iPod sits dust-covered on my fireplace mantle. i have a TV on, powered by Verizon's FIOS network. and my little MacBook lets me type away while listening to the random sounds of sirens and drunk people stumbling past my block. i faced a crushing defeat by the computer during another round of Wii Tennis. i hate that as i get better, so does the computer. technology outfits most of my life. it always has. even if i have this random sunday newspaper sitting on the floor. (i'm seeking a new camera).

last semester ended with a presentation on examining a personal technology wardrobe. we focused on this idea of modifization, a meeting point where modification and personalization unite to create a new hybrid, perhaps synergistic relationship between tech manufacturer and end-user. on the search, we noticed an intriguing trend of technology and fashion colliding together to create super-premium status devices. for example, the Prada LG phone, clocking in at about $900. when all was said and done, we delivered an interesting trend with future merit, but lacked the closer. so, in a way, i'm taking my stab at it.

i'm prompted by the idea of emotional design, or as other companies might call it, the moments of truth. emotional design pulls three ideas together - visceral, behavioral and reflective - to create a possibly unbreakable affection and connection with a product. technology, for all its advances in form and function, neglects this emotional tie that makes something more than its pieces. visceral is the gut reaction when you first see the product. behavioral deals with the actually function and use of the product. and reflective makes the end user assess what the product means to them. what does it say about me? separately, each piece segments an audience based on aesthetics, ease-of-use or personal expression. together, they bond the user to the brand. technology, especially cell phone manufacturers, have yet to pull all three together. which is why, when a new model comes out, we're quick to dump whatever we have to seek the new. we have no bond to the phone other than the credit card line item on the bill.

but high-end fashion started making phones. and other technology devices. witness samsung and armani joining forces to create an entire electronics line. or tag heuer turning its equity in watches to phones and other devices. as a culture, we're constantly upgrading to better and sleeker things. is a fashionable TV really different from a fashionable purse? isn't it all part of the outfit?

i'm revisiting this idea because, apparently, the Prada phone worked. nearly 700,000 units later (in under one year), Prada and LG are about to release the first limited edition run of the already limited edition phone. the silver Prada phone, full with QWERTY keyboard and more features than you can figure out how to work with, drops in the stores within the next few months. the essential dilemma remains, which brand wins in this co-branded tech environment? we didn't pick a winner back in december. but i can now. emotional design argues that the emotional aspect is the key to transforming the product into something extraordinary. and, perhaps, to generate a higher price point. in this equation of fashion + technology, the emotion rests in the fashion brand. it carries social capital. it has social and personal value about how we see ourselves and how we want to portray ourselves to the world. with exception of apple, it's hard to find a technology company that fully understands this deeply personal emotion and embeds that within the design functionality.

the future means that a Prada LG phone will become simply the Prada phone, and LG (as will be the case with other manufacturers) will bow to the emotional branding power of its partner. the fashion brand will also have to incorporate the same customer service experience and expectations into tech support. this should be a terrifying prediction for technology companies. they, most likely, won't own the tech conversation when it comes to these specialty devices. and they will reap the steepest penalty if the devices flop. because electronics is their currency. the fashion brand only has to lend its name to make the device emotionally appealing. if the device fails, it's a testament to the development and brains of the tech company, not the fashion brand. and if it succeeds, the fashion brand continues to be fashion forward on the runway and in personal electronics. the tech company becomes a third party innovator destined to need the fashion brand more than the fashion brand needs the tech company. and, in that scenario, the tech brand might simply vanish.

there's a scary thought.

flipping for my matchbook.

well, it sure has been a while. consider tomorrow the spark to starting over. since this is no longer a requirement. blogging, for me, has never been an assignment. i speak when i have something to say. and in these final months before i'm launched into the much vaunted "real world" again, i suppose it's time i focused my voice.

we'll see how brave i am.

______

shades of life are ringing through my open ears.
december.24.2007

according to the news reports, a giant fat man in a red suit is making a perilous trek across the nighttime skies as i write this. delivering smiles and magic to people who, most likely, need them. deserve them. i'm sitting here at the kitchen table, flooded by two decades of memories. i'm eagerly awake, but not for the impending arrival of santa and my deepest desire: a shiny g.i. joe box. yeah, talk about weapons of mass destructions.

it's funny to be in this house tonight. to witness, maybe more so than last year, how we grow up. how it's eerily quiet as i count down the minutes to a midnight episode of family guy. how i'm not bursting with curiosity at what i might get. about how i'm more entertained and excited for spencer to get here tomorrow and pull apart the blue plastic bag hiding his new batman bed. god, that thing is fucking cool. in many past eves, i've spent these last minutes before my eyes fell to dreams hoping the cookies tasted well enough. that i had been a good enough boy. that, maybe, miracles come to those who wait. that the stars held this strange kind of magical power to crisscross the universe and unite people. no matter how far the distance separated them. by space. or by hearts.

i think, most of the time, i forget the call of magic. or faith. or whatever it is you want to call it. maybe it's just blind hope. especially when i'm surrounded by point-of-sale displays and pop star versions of classic holiday tunes. but maybe it's the allure of the three movies i saw in the past three days, weaving three very different stories about love. about power. and, ultimately, about hope. three stories that restore, in some little luster, a glimmer in my heart when you wish upon a star.

my wish for you is that you believe who you are is exactly what my heart has always searched for. my wish for you is for you to be fully happy. my wish for you is for your demons to go away. my wish for you is for your doubts to subside. my wish for you is for someone to unlock your heart. my wish for you is for your ambitions to shine. my wish for you is for you to know the best is yet to come. my wish for you is for the strength to deal with what's ahead. my wish for you is to find the love you've always been seeking. and my wish for you is that the smoke finally clears.

wishes, after all, are just a spectacle of magic. a cannonball shot with a hectic direction. so i'll just sit here in my childhood home on the eve of another christmas. oddly eating cookies. take that, jolly fat man. and hoping that magic touches those i love the most as they scatter across the universe.

merry christmas.

ironing out the details.

this past friday, i went on an adventure with my boy in search of escaped dogs. see, somehow they magically broke free from the gated backyard. regardless of the details, said dogs were running rampant around the malvern area. or so the story went two hours before we joined steven's friends in search of the dogs.

we ducked around corners, explored streets and, at one point, steven suggested popping through the alleyways. in the depths of the night (ok, 8:30 p.m.), i stumbled upon a really wicked mirror tucked quietly behind a trash can in the alleyway. i stopped. i stared. i told steven that i wanted it. because i have this thing for giant mirrors. i looked at him. he smirked his eyebrows. suddenly, the door unlocked, and i was in hot pursuit. until i noticed the missing chunk from the bottom left corner.

but fear not fellow divers. dejected i felt. but we continued on our original journey in search of the dogs. only to discover, a few homes farther down, an ironing board propped beside another green trash can. steven remarked, 'i need an ironing board.' we jumped out again, claiming the prize. we turned it 45 degrees and in it went. we didn't find the dogs that night (don't worry, they came back two days later), but we did get an ironing board.

so to the group that asked if i would consider going dumpster diving. i guess my answer is done and done.

transgender day of remembrance.

i guess this goes out to will, who passed away a few months ago. at least that's what the news alert said the other week before the memorial. i met him during my stint in syracuse. and while his passing wasn't, to my knowledge, violence related, the violence surrounding the transgender community continues to silence voices, ideas and expressions. it silences their culture. in syracuse i met an incredible array of people identifying as transgender - many who had to combat misunderstanding, stereotypes and judgment from those around them. but to my friends who remain some of the strongest, most vocal and bravest folks i know, i just wanted to say thanks for opening my eyes up. and for showing the power of just being yourself.

so today is the national day to remember those who have been victims of anti-transgender hatred and violence. here's an excerpt from the site:

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.

Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgendered — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgendered people.

We live in times more sensitive than ever to hatred based violence, especially since the events of September 11th. Yet even now, the deaths of those based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice are largely ignored. Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives. This trend shows no sign of abating.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgendered people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Day of Remembrance publicly mourns and honors the lives of our brothers and sisters who might otherwise be forgotten. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred. Day of Remembrance reminds non-transgendered people that we are their sons, daughters, parents, friends and lovers. Day of Remembrance gives our allies a chance to step forward with us and stand in vigil, memorializing those of us who’ve died by anti-transgender violence.

autobots, transform.

since i'm on this nostalgia kick with g.i. joe, i thought i would share a clip from an event i would love to go to someday: botcon. botcon is the annual transformers convention bringing together crazy people like me who obsess over the show, the toys, the everything. part of my Ph.D. dreams rests in uncovering or studying the affinity for 80s cartoons and how they've remained alive for decades after their initial airings. maybe one day i'll finally get there. enjoy.

swimming around the mill.

this past saturday i spent the afternoon weaving between the masses at potomac mills. my journey started on the way to my friend's condo, trying to duck the uproarious applause of the marathon runners. and i saw a woman screaming on her cell phone as she drove at a 40 mph clip. i hope no one died.

i hadn't been to potomac mills in a while. it's this behemoth of retail space that feels like i need a scooter to get me from place to place. we started at the marshalls mega store and worked our way through the food court, screaming babies and the most terrifying santa ever, to the nordstrom end. twenty-eight miles later. ok, i'm exaggerating. originally, my thoughts as i watched all these shoppers - families, singles, girlfriends, college buddies, white, black, latino, asian, gay, straight, kids, parents, moms, dads, grandparents, friends - centered on the culture of shopping at a perceived outlet mall (which, as times change, becomes less of one). about the search for a deal, the buzz of looking or furor of thousands of people surrounding you. this would be a germophobe's worst nightmare.

but i started to pay attention to everyone's bags. to the stores people spent more time in. for example, how i avoided the papaya store. but i flock to the disney store. or how my friends rush to the fossil store while i demand stopping in hot topic. or how abercrombie is a waste of my time. but the shoe section at nordstrom is my slice of heaven. there are a myriad of cultures working simultaneously as we walked around this retail space: the culture of the mall, the cultures within each store, the cultures reflected by the shoppers and the cultural dynamics of the shopping unit. wow, i think i confused myself.

i don't think it all hit me until i was in hot topic fighting to buy a g.i.joe t-shirt featuring my favorite cobra character. i realized i was playing in a few cultural moments: 80s nostalgia, sleek emo-indie, cartoon, etc. and they were ones not shared by my two friends who looked puzzled at my need to own this shirt. i remember the year-long search to find the storm shadow action figure. and i never found him attached to the original box art. it was just the loose figure. the shirt features the box art -- and a part of my childhood is now complete.

maybe i'm the crazy one.

a tko from tokyo.

on friday night i became one of the addicted, infected, obsessed Wii fanatics. after weeks of putting it off, i finally installed the machine which has, in my lifetime, turned gaming upside down. i've been a gamer at heart since the first time i put a nintendo controller in my hands. i watched mario bounce on goombas. and i hunted ducks with a bizarre little gun controller. nintendo always has been my system of choice, even if i'm late to the game, so to speak. i wanted a Wii when it first came out. but i waited -- too much work to do. and does a boy need distractions when he's saving brands.

but there's something remarkably exciting about connecting with a game you last played at age nine. so friday night, after an abysmal showing at the artwalk, i tangoed with electronic art. by downloading mike tyson's punch-out. i'll have more on my Wii exploits later. but, for the time being, take a look at a game which made me the boxer i never had the body to become.